I Own A Brothel In Another World (Ch. 1-196)

Chapter 141 - T.T.E.O.A.: The Tactician Leads the Defence Operation

After Shino returns to our group, we move closer to the round table with the map. It takes a moment for the people who have suffered some minor damage in their apparel to regain focus and we take that time to see what exactly is displayed on the wide desk.

As expected, it's a layout of the settlement and the surrounding areas. Most of the detail was put into the close vicinity of the town but the map expands a bit further to note the most crucial landmarks like the nearby mines and gives a sense of proper distance. As rare as it seems, this sheet actually has a grid but it doesn't look like an original part.

"This is a very good map. Easy to follow. The information seems accurate too. I wonder why not all of them that can be found in the capital are like this," I comment, following a line with my finger in the air.

"That's because the lines are my doing," the black-haired woman replies. "It makes it much easier to visualise the battle when you split the area into smaller parts."

"That's true. It helps a lot in managing and commanding the troops too. Great use of markers. Do these symbolise the monsters?" I ask, pointing at simple, wooden dice scattered around the town's walls.

"Yes. The dots correspond to the number of Abyssals in that area, or in a group. More or less, of course, but we try to keep them updated as much as we can."

I nod while rubbing my chin. "You seem to have everything under control right now. The southwestern gate might need to be updated as we killed off a bunch of them while securing our entry. I saw three deaths but there could be more."

"Much appreciated." She quickly changes the values on the dice placed near that region. "Now, before we continue, I believe we should properly introduce ourselves."

"Right. You already know me and Shino. The guy in heavy armour is Kamil, the dual-wielding redhead is Marcia, the blonde Bard is Natalie, and the brown-haired quarterstaff user is..."

Pausing for a moment, I glance at Vanessa, who shows a soft smile.

"Vanessa, a Geomancer. I'm not exactly going to hide it from official so I can reveal myself as Ronerulle's princess." She makes a courteous skip.

"A princess?" The woman raises her brow at her. "I'm Catherine, ex-leader of the 42nd Quick Response And Emergency Fortification Unit, Officer Rank. Currently overseeing the defence of this town. What brings a princess here?"

"I joined the Hero party some time ago. There's no need to treat me as a royal out here. Right now, I'm just a fellow adventurer and someone who wishes to aid them in helping others," Vanessa explains.

"Ex-leader?" I ask after their brief conversation ends.

"You can't call yourself a leader without a unit." Catherine sighs heavily. "I'm on my way back to the capital to report myself for abandoning my men after my team was ambushed. We faced overwhelming numbers out of nowhere and were wiped out. When things became obvious, our last surviving mages locked me out and told to run... Damned fools..."

She slams her fist into the table and takes a deep breath, raking back through her black hair with one hand. The wound seems fresh so the only proper choice is not to rub even more salt into it.

"I assume you stumbled on this situation by accident and decided to take control of the defence?" I attempt to return us to the main topic.

Catherine gives me a weak smile and a barely noticeable nod, clearly meant as appreciation. "Yeah. You seem quite smart. I walked out of one mess just to plunge straight into another one. But, it's not like I could have left the town to continue anyway."

"And we would have suffered much greater losses if not for Madam Officer's help." One of the men present in the room bows, most likely part of the leadership or local garrison.